Best Hikes to See Wildlife in South Australia

Going for a hike is a great way to see wildlife in their native environment. We’ve outlined some of the best hikes in South Australia to see different wildlife.

14 hikes to see some of South Australia’s wildlife

Aldgate Valley Nature Walk1.

Bandicoots

Southern Brown BandicootSouthern Brown Bandicoots are shy and fast moving, but you might catch a glance of one as it scurries under foliage. If you’re first thought was: “did I just see a rat… wait, a big one, and brown, and with a pointed snout, and rounded”, then you just saw a bandicoot.

There are several hikes where you might catch a glimpse of a bandicoot if you keep a watchful eye:


Koala, Montacute Conservation Park2.

Koala in Montacute Conservation Park

Koalas

Koalas are throughout the Adelaide Hills. They can often be found in large numbers in quiet cool gullies.

A few good hikes to see koalas on include:


Kangaroo and joey on the Chambers Hike and Wine Shanty Hike3.

Kangaroo and joey on the Chambers Hike and Wine Shanty Hike

Kangaroos

Kangaroos are quite easy to find in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula. A few good hikes to see roos on include:


An echidna on the Sacred Canyon Walk4.

An echidna on the Sacred Canyon Walk in the Flinders Ranges

Echidnas

Echidnas are notoriously shy, but if you keep a listen out you can see them. They’ll often crawl up into a ball, but if you’re quiet and don’t approach they’ll often then relax and continue wandering around looking for food.


Emu in Mambray Creek, on the Wirra Water Loop Hike5.

Emu in Mambray Creek, on the Wirra Water Loop Hike

Emus

There are abundant emus in the Mambray Creek campground and on the Wirra Water Loop hike (1.6km, 30 minutes).


Platypus Waterholes Walk6.

Platypus

Photo of platypus at Flinders Chase courtesy of TripAdvisor

Photo of platypus at Flinders Chase courtesy of TripAdvisor

Platypus are rare in South Australia, but with some patience you might be in with a chance of seeing some on the Platypus Waterholes Walk (4.7km, 2 hours), in Kangaroo Island’s Flinders Chase National Park.

Jan 2020: Flinders Chase National Park is currently closed due to the December 2019 Kangaroo Island/Ravine Bushfire.

There is plenty of other birdlife, kangaroos, wallabies, geese, echidnas and goannas to be seen on this walk.


Dolphins playing in the waves above Boat Harbor, Deep Creek National Park7.

Dolphins playing in the waves above Boat Harbor, Deep Creek National Park

Dolphins

View of Boat Harbor

View of Boat Harbor

In Deep Creek National Park the Boat Harbor Hike (7.8km, 4 hours return) goes down to the coast with a viewing spot. You might get lucky and see dolphins playing in the surf. The trail is well-graded with breathtaking views of Kangaroo Island, The Pages Islands and Tunkalilla Beach.


White-bellied Sea-Eagle8.

White-bellied Sea-Eagle

The White-bellied Sea-Eagle are endangered in SA and few remain on the mainland. You can catch a glance of them flying overhead on the hike along the Heysen Trail from Waitpinga Cliffs to Kings Beach (11.5km, 4-6 hours one way). One of a just a few breeding pairs of sea-eagles on the mainland inhabit the cliffs here.